The U.S. Department of Defense employs a type of VHF-FM combat net radio known as the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS). SINCGARS radios, such as the RT-1523 series radio, are designed to provide the primary means of tactical communications and control for U.S. ground mounted and dismounted units, all in coordination with naval and air support. SINCGARS radios are designed on a modular basis for achieving maximum commonality among the various ground airborne system configurations of the armed forces. SINCGARS radios provide U.S. military commanders with a highly reliable, secure, and easily maintainable tactical radio net.
SINCGARS radios possess a nominal input power requirement of 11 to 16 volts direct current, which is supplied by rechargeable on-board batteries. Recharging the SINCGARS radio batteries is inconvenient and, in certain mission applications, unattainable. Currently, specialized and complex battery recharging systems are available for recharging SINCGARS radio batteries; however, these systems are not always operable in a given application.